RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: After seven days of relentless efforts, forest department officials on Friday evening successfully captured the elusive Royal Bengal tiger at Kurmapuram village in Rayavaram mandal of East Godavari district, bringing much-needed relief to frightened villagers and authorities alike.
The tiger was safely tranquillised and shifted into a cage, ending days of high tension across the region.
This was announced by Principal Chief Conservator PV Chalapati Rao and Conservator of Rajamundry Circle BNN Murthy. The tiger will be tested in an animal hospital, and later, high-level forest officials will decide what the next strategy is, forest officials said.
After nearly eight hours of tense monitoring, forest officials successfully captured the tiger hiding in a hut amid coconut gardens in Kurmapuram.
As it tried to escape in the evening, Wild life veterinary surgeon Dr Phanindra said, “Two experts including him fired tranquilisation shots and it ran for 200 meters before falling unconscious. It will regain consciousness within 30 minutes. So we shifted it into a cage quickly. It is being transported to Rajamundry for medical tests and will later be moved to Vizag Zoo for rehabilitation.”
The operation ended days of anxiety in villages around Kurmapuram, about 45 km from Rajamahendravaram.
For over a week, fear prevailed as the tiger strayed into human settlements and killed cattle.
Earlier, during ‘Operation Tiger,’ it had escaped from an abandoned hut, run through fields and canals for 15 minutes, and taken shelter again, heightening tension.
That sudden movement dashed officials’ hopes of tranquillising and capturing it at that stage, triggering panic among villagers, many of whom rushed indoors for safety.
To prevent further escapes, forest teams erected protective nets around the hut where the tiger was hiding, installed powerful floodlights and positioned special teams armed with tranquiliser guns.
Officials decided to wait for the animal to emerge, fearing that a forced approach could provoke it and lead to casualties.
Despite these precautions, the tiger remained elusive until final escape attempt, which led to its capture.
Officials confirmed that during its stay near the hut, the tiger did not kill two cattle, they said, surprised.
“We thought it had been killed, but we found two cattle alive,” they said. Public cooperation played a key role in the success of the operation.
“We repeatedly urged people to avoid gathering near the site, as noise and crowd movement could agitate the animal,” Rajamundry circle conservator BNN Murthy said.
Forest officials said the tiger strayed from Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, crossed Chhattisgarh and Telangana, and entered Andhra Pradesh via Palvancha.
It reached Eluru division around January 20, moved through Kannapuram, Buttayagudem and Koyyalagudem, swam across the Godavari at Pattiseema on January 31, and entered East Godavari.
A five-member Pune-based expert team supported the operation.